Yemen crisis: survey says half of the population malnourished; warns of a food catastrophe

Geneva: According to the latest survey released on Saturday, 15.9 million people, 53 per cent of the population are facing “severe acute food insecurity” and famine due to Yemen’s war and the ensuing economic collapse. The survey was conducted by Yemeni officials and international experts in October.

The report warns the population is in danger if immediate action was not taken. Besides identifying war as the main cause of the hunger crisis, it also concluded extremely high food prices, a liquidity crisis, disrupted livelihoods, and high levels of unemployment, have also aggravated the situation. The report observes adding food aid was not enough to plug the gap, but immediate responses are also required to save lives and livelihoods of millions not to slide to the next worse case which is famine.

according to Reuters, the report exposed many pockets of extreme hunger across Yemen, concentrated in areas with active fighting, and especially affecting the 3 million displaced people, their host families, landless wage labourers and other marginalised groups.

The survey identified the governorates of Hodeidah, Amanat Al Asimah, Dhamar, Hajjah, Ibb and Taiz each having more than one million people in a crisis situation or worse. It also concluded that without humanitarian aid 13 governorates would be in a food catastrophe.